Between holiday shopping and making vacation plans, your mind has probably been in a million different directions this past week. If social media news has been the last of your thoughts, no worries! We’ve rounded up a few useful posts you may have missed, covering news and new features from your favorite apps.
Being the social media fanatic you are, e-cards are probably on your list of things to share. Actually, you probably send them out randomly for no reason at all, just because they’re fun and you can. Now it’s the holiday season and there’s a valid occasion to do so! But don’t worry if you’re not the most creative one in the bunch. Digging around someecards to find the most relatable notes you and your like-minded friends will understand and love turned up these results (click each one to send it via email directly from the site):
Are you managing multiple accounts and their social profiles? Do you feel like you’re getting notifications and alerts all over the place, or that you can’t keep up with (un)following other users? What about when you’re managing different accounts across a range of industries – how do you keep up with what interests each audience?
We all know about and/or use tools like TweetDeck, Hootsuite, and HubSpot, but even with them, things can get still get crazy! If you do a Google search for helpful tools, the same ones pop up over and over again, so we put together a few underrated, time-tested services and apps we think you should give a try.
As professional social media fanatics, we at Metter Media spend a LOT of time online. Because of that, it should come as no surprise we have plenty of ideas that could make our (and everyone else’s) experiences better on social networking.
Sometimes that article about the new iPhone could really use a Macarena baby GIF — that Facebook won’t allow. Or you get a Twitter notification on your phone that you can’t read because someone sharing the account already opened it and it disappeared before your very eyes. And it’s beyond frustrating.
In the midst of scheduling posts, sharing cat pictures, and lightheartedly making fun of each other, the MM team came up with our top social media gripes that we’d love to see solutions to — soon.
Everyone knows Boston loves to drink. From our intense celebrations during St. Patrick’s Day and the Boston Marathon to the notorious “drunk train” that is the B line, to being consistently named America’s drunkest city, we get a reputation for being more than willing to partake.
What is often overlooked, though, is Boston’s appreciation for craft beer, locally made liquor, and remarkable craft cocktails. We have some of the best people in the country behind the stick, and one such barman, Tenzin Samdo, wants to make it known.
As @bostonmixdrink on Instagram and Twitter, Tenzin shares his own specialty cocktails as well as those he experiences throughout the city and on international travels – and he knows his stuff. His accounts are filled with gorgeous shots of unique drinks, beautiful sights, and his adorable son, and his IG has gained over 8,000 followers in less than two years.
With a mocktail of watermelon juice, basil, and cucumber in hand, I sat down with Tenzin at his home turf, Trade, and chatted about social media and the Boston bar scene.
Let me tell you a little secret about social media marketing: big businesses are using you.
No, they’re not stealing your identity, and they’re not looking to trade your voice for a pair of rad human legs – but they are doing something pretty smart that you might not even notice.
That picture you posted on Instagram yesterday of Taco Bell’s newest Tex-Mex Frankenstein? Those hashtags: #TacoBae #ThinkOutsideTheBun? And your geo-tag showing you were at the combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell? That was an ad… that you provided… FO’ FREE. Continue reading
Clay Fernald (@claynferno) is the brains behind the Midde East and Zuzu’s social media. From running the actual venue to running the venue’s social media (which includes keeping guests, artists, and followers constantly informed), we bet Clay had a lot of advice for businesses looking to get their big toe wet in the somewhat murky waters of social media. And we were right.
1. Music Monday! #mm
Even if you aren’t in the music business, put your favorite artist in the spotlight on Monday! Have you Heard Aretha Franklin sing Adele? Wooooo! Hashtag #mm means “Music Monday.” Everyone likes music!
2. Follow Back! #ff
In 2012, we got the blue checkmark next to our @MidEastClub Twitter handle? What does that mean, we’re clear for smallpox? No! We’re a recognized professional entity by the almighty Twitter herself! Thanks, birdie!
Anyhoot, we got there by slowly building a great ratio of followers to people we followed. And also we made sure not to follow jerks. Us the #FF hashtag on Friday to engage with your peers, your friends, your competitors and see how fast your list can grow. If you get a #FF notification, follow them back (after checking out their profile, of course!)
3. Report Spammers!
Are you followed on Twitter by a lot of egg icons, or is someone spamming one-of-a-kind Marty McFly sneaker sales on your Facebook Page? Unless it’s Doc Brown himself, use the appropriate buttons to report to Twitter and Facebook that these are spam accounts! Keep the B.S. to a minimum and those news feeds clean for all. It feels like a citizens arrest!
4. Meme it up!
Bored on a Thursday? Send your intern to MemeGenerator to make a clever joke about what you and your team are working on.
See, look what my intern did! She’s a card.
5. Speak in your own voice!
There are lots of conflicting words of advice about this, but as a brand, you are still a person, or hopefully, a team! Sign your tweets if you need to express who you are.
For example. nerd musicians @PaulandStorm share a Twitter account and they simply sign tweets this way: [P] = Paul, [S] = Storm.
In the MidEastClub Twitter bio, we are a collective team, but we post as “The Box Office, Jill&Steph&Jamie&Clay.” This puts at least a name to the company (four names, in fact!) that people can relate to!
6. Acknowledge your mistakes.
If we make a mistake or update set times, we say “oops” or “updated set times.”
Catching a Lyft may be as easy as opening an app on your phone, but Zach Cole, Lyft’s social media manager, doesn’t have an easy job. From mastering Lyft’s “cool dude next door” voice on Twitter to handling Lyft’s responses to the numerous red-tape it faces in many states across the country – Cole has a lot to handle, but he makes it look effortless! We asked him for some advice for businesses looking to emulate that kind of organic presence.
1. Find out what your audience likes.
Brands that don’t constantly talk about themselves often find great success. Knowing what your audience is truly interested in can help inform your content strategy, so that you’re able to share more content that isn’t centered around your brand, but still communicates your brand values.
2. Create a content calendar.
Brands with strong content calendars do two things really well: they have a regular posting frequency per social channel, which helps brands understand when they can best reach their audience, and they post a variety of content. Content calendars are great tools for bucketing content into categories so that brands can share a balanced variety of content.
3. Set goals.
Talk with your marketing and brand teams to determine your brand’s goals for social media. This way, you can have an idea of what matters most when working to improve your social strategy. Goals vary from one brand to the next — some brands (media and e-commerce) will often measure website traffic from social, while others may want to focus on reaching a target demographic with a specific message.
4. Experiment.
Try new things! The world of social media is still relatively new, so there’s always room to experiment. Try sharing new types of content, playing with copy, working with influencers, etc. You sometimes never know just where you’re going to find the most success until you give it a go — and generally social media lets brands do this at minimal cost.